


It's Different That Summer

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Friday Night Lights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-23
Updated: 2008-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-25 08:28:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1641467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The summer before Senior year Lyla finds a whole lot has changed, including herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Different That Summer

**Author's Note:**

> I am a huge fan of Lyla Garrity, so was happy to pick this up as a pinch-hit. Thank you for the opportunity to explore just what happened between season two and three. Also a huge thanks to thetinydemon @ livejournal for her last minute and late night beta.
> 
> Written for ebstarr

 

 

The last summer before Lyla's senior year didn't start all that well in her mind. Saying goodbye to her mom and her brother and sister wasn't great. That her mom hadn't understood what it was keeping her here was an understatement. But she hadn't budged once she made her decision. Lyla wasn't uprooting her life to move to California and live some vegan-hippie lifestyle. She just wasn't. It wasn't fair to leave her dad alone, and this was her _home_. 

Apparently that didn't mean much to her mom, sad as it was. Lyla hadn't meant to leave things on a bad note, but that was what had happened. She didn't want Tabby and Little Buddy to go, but it wasn't her choice. Of course they'd hugged and cried when they said goodbye - Lyla wasn't heartless, and neither was her mother - but it didn't take back all that they'd said in the weeks leading up to the move.

Her room at the apartment was sterile. Buddy had given her the master bedroom with its own bedroom, but the white walls got her down. Gone was the comfort of the home she'd grown up in. The security that it would always be there for her to come home to. Sure, she'd be going away to college in a year, but she'd always thought that she would go home at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and that it would be the place she grew up - even if her parents weren't together anymore. 

The summer was a hot one, hotter than normal. The air conditioning always seemed fit to bust at the apartment, and she didn't like spending any more time than necessary there, anyway. At first she'd gone to the church. Throwing herself into the summer youth programs, working with the kids who came out to day camp. But it wasn't the same. It had filled a hole before, being there. Now it felt hollow again, like she was playing at something that wasn't quite right. Almost like when she was a kid and dressed up in her mom's clothes to pretend she was going out to a party. Wearing the clothes of an adult didn't make her one, then, and now she felt the same. Dressed in the clothes of a Christian, and not sure of what she believed anymore. In God, yes, that would never change. She'd been brought up that way, and she believed in that. But she wasn't so sure about so much of the other stuff now. About the life she was living and how she'd got to be here. About people who came to the church and acted like they had faith and then acted the exact same day in and day out, paying it all no mind. A crisis of faith and she was eighteen. 

It might've been funny if it hadn't happened that summer. Heck, even then it still was, in that ironic way. The thing that she'd clung to so hard after everything had fallen apart didn't exactly provide her with comfort that it had. Just like the white walls of the apartment it felt cold. It didn't feel like home.

* * *

The first time she ran into Tim was at the pool near the center of town. Of course she'd seen him around here and there - it would be impossible not to in a town the size of Dillon - but she'd never done more than say hi. They'd taken a group of the kids down for a swim that day, and she was more concerned with getting Bobby to stop teasing Stefanie that she didn't even notice him behind her until he spoke. 

"Hey there Garrity. I didn't know you liked kids so much," the voice was same as always, low and amused, almost lost in the noise of the crowds. 

"Bobby, put that stick down," she shouted one last time, watching the boy until he did. "Good. Now go and sit on your towel til I tell you that you can get up. Alright?"

Only then did she turn to look at him, brushing back the loose hair that'd fallen from her ponytail. "Believe me, after this summer, I don't." It was one thing having to watch Tabby and little Buddy when they were younger, but this was something else entirely. "What can I say, I like helping out, and it's not like I can spend every day just drinking and doing nothing, can I?"

"Don't see why not," Tim drawled back to her, his mouth tugging upward in a lazy half-smile. "Hasn't done me no harm."

The sound that came out of her could only be called disbelieving, arms crossed over her chest as she stood, "the jury is still out on that one. Anyway, the camp needed help, so I'm helping. It's just a couple of days a week, and it's nice to have something to keep me busy." And out of the house, but she wasn't going to say that. Not to Tim. Only it made her realize that she hadn't said much to anyone lately. Just camp and home, sometimes out to parties or the lake. Lyla didn't exactly have a whole lot of close friends. She'd never minded before but now, now it had started to bug her. At least a little.

Already she could see Bobby edging off his towel, Stefanie egging him on from the edge of the pool. "I gotta get back to the kids. See you around?"

"Yeah, sure, Garrity."

Quick as that and he was gone. She didn't even have a chance to look for him for a few minutes, and when she did he just wasn't there. Shaking her head, she forgot about it mostly, the kids starting another fight she had to break up.

* * *

Lyla wasn't paying one little bit of attention to what Buddy was saying to her. He was talking football, and the boosters, and about this new kid that'd moved into the area, that much she'd heard. The Tastee-Freez was busy as usual, Buddy Garrity's idea of a quick meal out. There was a fry between her fingers, but she was spinning it idly more than thinking of eating it. 

"That Riggins again-" That she heard, eyes narrowing as she glanced toward her dad.

"What was that about Tim?" 

"Tim? Oh nothing baby, just saying that if he can maybe keep his butt in gear this year instead of disappearing halfway through the season on some harebrained-"

Lyla cut him off, her eyes flashing, "that wasn't harebrained. He was there for Jason. Who happened to need Tim, right about then." 

"Lyla, fact is, a lot of people would have helped Jason Street out right about then. I mean, I gave him a job and-"

"Dad, just stop it," dropping the fry, she wiped her fingers off on a napkin before tossing that back too. She'd heard enough of this, and it was one topic she just couldn't take anymore. "Don't tell me about how much this town did for Jason. Not after everything."

Pushing back from the table, she shook her head, "I can't believe you sometimes. I'll see you later."

"Lyla, wait," Buddy called out after her, scrambling to push up from the table, "wait honey."

"Don't Dad. I'm not mad," she made herself stop, to turn and face him. Not frowning, but not smiling either. Her annoyance might still be there, but she knew there were some things Buddy just didn't hear, no matter how she said them. "I'm just going out for a bit. I'll be home later, alright?"

"Alright," relieved, Buddy dropped his hands and took a step back, "Alright baby, you just stay safe. Don't be out too late. Love you honey."

"Sure Dad. Love you too." Buddy Garrity would never change, and after last year she couldn't handle seeing him upset. Not for long. 

* * *

It was early yet, but there were lots of kids at the house already. Lyla smiled to a few as she made her way inside, grabbing herself a cup of beer. Stopping to talk to a couple of girls she didn't notice how quick the first went down, or the second. 

_Never drink cause you're angry Lyla. It's just a dumb thing to do._ She might have told herself that, but it didn't stop her from grabbing a third cup a little over an hour after she'd gotten there. 

Hot inside, Lyla wandered out back, taking a seat on the two-seater swing that hung a little bit away from the main crowd of people. Close enough that she could still sit and watch, but far enough that she didn't have to talk to everyone. These parties were tiring in their own way. People asking her what her plans were, asking what she'd been up to. At least she could say that college was in her future, and tell them about work, but somehow talking about the surface stuff reminded her of all the thing beneath the surface that were bugging her. 

"Garrity. Didn't think I'd see you here."

His voice brought her back to her own thoughts, looking up at him in surprise. "Why? Can't I come to parties now?" Her question came across harsher than she'd meant it to, shaking her head and wincing, "I'm sorry. I meant that as a joke. Guess it doesn't always come out that way."

Honestly, he'd been about to turn and leave, but her apology was enough to make him pause, shrugging a shoulder, "I guess. I mean, it could have been worse, right?"

"You can sit, y'know. I don't bite," she slid over, smiling when he actually took the seat beside her. 

"Seriously though, Garrity. You've come to, what, three parties all summer? Now it's August and you've been out three nights in a row. Something is up."

"Why, Tim, I didn't know you cared," she tried to keep it light and joking, her finger tracing the edge of the plastic cup she held. "Maybe I've just missed everyone."

"Yeah, and that's why you're sittin' way over here by yourself?" Tim didn't expect her to tell him anything in the end. Not really, not to him. "What do all your god-friends think of you out here drinking?"

"Does it matter?" That came out sharp as well, her eyes down on her glass, "What they think, I mean?"

He sat for a good minute, not saying anything. Just looking down on her staring so determined at her cup and thinking. It wasn't like Lyla, but then, a lot of things weren't exactly like Lyla. Tim took a breath, "No. No, I guess that it doesn't."

"You don't have to sit here with me," it had taken her just as long to respond, not wanting to talk for fear of crying, or doing something dumb like that. "I get it. You came over you said hi, you can go."

"Jeez Garrity." Tim shook his head, giving a low laugh and nudging her shoulder with her hand, "maybe I like spending time with you. Even if you are being miserable."

"Miserable?" She glanced up her eyes flashing until she saw his smile, "You making fun of me Riggins?"

"Actually, yes. I think that I am."

"Hmmph," she sat back, mouth set into a flat line, if only to stop from smiling. "Is that how it's gonna be then?"

"Yeah, Lyla. I think that it is." 

 


End file.
